Play is not simply recreation, or rest, or even Sabbath. It’s God’s gift to us that helps us to recognize and respond to God’s delight in us. When we play, we learn to hear the song God is already singing over us, allowing hope and joy to rise in us rather than relying solely on our effort.
September 6, 2026
Season of Play
“Play & the Gift of God’s Delight”
Psalm 126:1-3
Zephaniah 3:17
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Play & the Gift of God’s Delight Psalm 126:1-3; Zeph 3:17
This Sunday, we will begin a new series, “Season of Play”. We are invited to remember that “play is not simply recreation, or rest, or even Sabbath. It’s God’s gift to us. For true life, play is not a reward after the “real work.” It’s part of God’s design. Play isn’t a break from faith; it’s a reflection of how joyful God is! Think about it: from God’s wild imagination in Creation, to Jesus’ first miracle at a party, the Bible shows us a God who just loves to have a good time. When the Church gets playful, we’re mirroring God’s creativity and showing the world that joy is stronger than fear. A playful church becomes this living invitation to come on over and join the celebration of God’s delight! Our scriptures for today remind us that when we play, we learn to hear the song God is already singing over us, allowing hope and joy to rise in us rather than relying solely on our effort.” I invite you to hear these words…
Psalm 126:1-3; Zephaniah 3:177
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
“Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! Because the king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.”
This verse comes a few lines before the one we read this morning. It is spoken to people who need some good news. They were living in exile. They were worn down by hopelessness, by sorrow, by all the hate and hurt which surrounded them. These words were given to people who needed some good news.
The odd thing is we are not used to a prophet calling us to sing. More often than not, we turn to the prophets for wisdom, for images of justice, for promises of God’s moving in and among us bringing out new life. We usually don’t turn to the prophets for invitations to sing and rejoice. That’s the Psalms, not the prophets.
Yet there it is… invitation, no it is stronger than that. It is an exhortation to sing. It is a command to sing. It is a demand to sing, to rejoice and exult with all their heart because God was in their midst. A reminder that they had nothing to fear.
The people were told that God would rejoice over them with gladness; that God would renew them in God’s love. That God will exult them with loud singing. The people were told to raise their voices and rejoice because no matter what, God takes great delight in God’s people.
Let me say that again…God delights in us…sit with that for a minute. Because more often than not, the Church has shared a very different message. The message the wider Church usually shares is one of fear, one of guilt, one of shame. Yet throughout our faith story, from Genesis to Revelation, we are told God saw God’s creation and called it good. We are told in the Psalms that God takes great delight in God’s people, not because of anything we have done but because of who God is! Sit with that for a minute. The God who created the heavens and earth, who formed the mountains, who brought forth the great seas takes great delight in YOU! As people of faith, from beginning to end of our faith story, from our very first breath to the time we put on the robes of new life, there is joy!
However, this joy is not a naive, everything is rainbows and puppy dogs viewpoint. This joy does not deny that there are hard and difficult moments in our lives. What this joy does is to remind us that our God is so much bigger than we expected or imagined, that our God is here. This joy reminds us that love and light will always have the last word.
Or let me say it this way…So often this good news, this life transforming, this life-giving news gets lost in all the noise of life. We get caught up in our to-do lists, our hurried schedules, and this mindset which tells us everything is important and everything has to be done right now! One of the ways that we can interrupt this cycle of rush and hurry is to reclaim this Good News, to invite it to become a part of who we are, emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally through Play!
There is no purpose to play beyond simply enjoyment. It is not about winning or losing. Okay, it might be if we are really competitive but that’s a different sermon for another day and that also probably falls into one of the seven deadly sins.
When we play, it allows us to be in the moment. It boosts our creativity and allows us to think differently. It takes us out of our head where we spend so much of our time thanks to emails and other technology. Play invites us to present in our bodies. “Because when we engage in play, our souls recalibrate: We stop being solely task-oriented and instead become attentive to the presence of joy, restoration, and community.”
I shared earlier this week a writing piece from one of my favorite theologians, Nadia Bolz-Weber. I was captivated by a practice that she suggests, that practice being instead of praying, “God, help me just not be the worst version of myself, instead we pray “God, help me be surprised and delighted by my life today. She went on to say that she quickly discovered that it’s difficult to be surprised by anything when we think we already knows everything….If indeed there are things each day that COULD offer surprise, that COULD offer delight if only we stopped assuming we knew everything…If only we changed the aperture of our gaze, then imagine what is possible, what would be possible if we simply opened ourselves to God’s delight”
Over the next few weeks, I want to invite us all to add a little play in our day (The KY Lottery doesn’t get all the fun) by relearning delight.
(At this point, the congregation is invited to play a brief game in the sanctuary. The sermon resumes afterwards)
I invite you to come with your lists and your laughter, your worries and your wonder…because no matter what other narrative the world is trying to tell us in this moment…Know this. Write this down… God delights in YOU. “The Lord has done great things for us. God rejoices over us.” May these words take root in our hearts. May they become the light which renews our spirits. May these words help us embrace God’s delight. May it be so. Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, September 6, 2026 – Play & the Gift of God’s Delight Psalm 126:1-3; Zeph 3:17.
Additional sermons are available in the Sermon Library.
Listen to the podcast.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.